Letters to the Editor: 10.31.12

Wake up, City Council. What in the world are you thinking when you want to pursue Destination Bayfront? Have you counted the parks along Ocean Drive? There are numerous and ample places to picnic and take in the scenery of the water.

Other cities that have been successful have wonderful downtown areas that have a much, much better plan. Old crumbling buildings have been torn down to make way for open and lighted areas of shopping, wonderful restaurants and living.

There are amenities such as grocery stores, cleaners and retail. There are awesome restored buildings with new and spacious condos. Great places to live, work and enjoy ... Isn't this a better plan than Destination Bayfront.

You don't keep up the city parks we have now and they are numerous.

We need to invest in revenue producing for the city instead of this fiasco. Rethink Corpus Christi Destination Bayfront.

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Stephen Johnson

What happened to paper bags?

I'm not sure why there is an issue around plastic grocery bags and litter.

The solution seems pretty simple, supermarkets should just go back to issuing paper bags with groceries.

They don't have to be recycled, they're biodegradable (no litter, how green!).

Homeowners can still use them for trash can liners and wrapping packages for shipping.

I'm surprised our good corporate citizens H-E-B and Sprouts haven't stepped up to the plate and suggested this.

Why is this being turned into a problem for Corpus Christi residents to solve through bag fees and the like?

Soon we'll be bagging our own groceries or pumping our own gas or paying for access to our funds at ATMs.

Why, they could even add a fee to our utility bills to pay for street repairs that we've already allocated tax money to pay for.

It won't stop unless we stop it!

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Lura Dietze

Making voting lines easier on disabled

As I was in line to vote the first day of early voting, I watched several people enter the Corpus Christi Area Council for the Deaf Center, look at the line and walk out.

Unfortunately, some of the potential voters had disabilities that prevented them from standing for long periods of time.

It was great to see so many people out voting, but on the other hand, it was sad to watch so many leave.

As I stood in line, a line that weaved out the door, it occurred to me that our community should make voting easier for those individuals who are disabled, elderly or have other medical conditions requiring canes, crutches or walkers.

Several voters needing assistance had a family member or aide with them, allowing them to sit while the other stood in line. However, without a companion, the person with a disability had to stand in line.